Australia's fourth biggest bank made $5.5 billion in the 12 months to the end of September, with earnings rising in all divisions.

Shareholders will get a 97 cent dividend, taking the annual payout to $1.90 a share.

Analysts said revenue growth was weak and there was a large rise in bad debts at the bank.

NAB lost 2.5 per cent to $35.31.

Other big banks were also out of favour on the day Fairfax Media reported that the banking regulator Australian Prudential Regulation Authority ordered the banks limit dividend payouts and keep more cash in reserve.

ANZ was the only one of the major banks to rise - it added 0.4 per cent to $33.84.

In retail, Woolworths posted a rise of more than 6 per cent in sales from its ongoing operations in the first quarter of this financial year.

Petrol sales jumped 12.6 per cent in the period and Woolworths' struggling hardware chain Masters saw a 28 per cent improvement in sales.

Woolworths shares managed a gain of five cents to $34.90.

Its main rival Wesfarmers, which owns Coles, added 69 cents, to $42.97.

The department store David Jones added 1.1 per cent to $2.72 before its quarterly sales report out tomorrow.

Myer added 2.5 per cent to $2.50.

In commodity trade, spot gold fell to $US1,336.81 an ounce, while West Texas crude continued its slide overnight to close at $US96.79 a barrel.

Tapis crude is higher at $US117.67 a barrel.

The dollar held steady at 94.9 US cents, 69.3 euro cents, 93.3 Japanese yen and 59.3 British pence.